Mount God – part 2

The Mountainside was a place that Jesus Himself often frequented as part of His commitment to a spiritually diciplined life-style. You only ever see Jesus with company on a mountain on the occasion when He took Peter, James and John and was transfigured before them as He talked with Moses and Elijah. And on this occasion Jesus set the disciples up to hear the Father’s feelings on solitude, i.e. “This is my Son…listen to Him.” Arguably, listening to Jesus is easier when you’re on your own.

Normally Jesus would withdraw to ‘lonely places’, often in mountainous locations, to pray and be alone with the Father. This is significant. In these times I bet Jesus sang and laughed, cried and asked questions, but first and foremost He would worship. This tells me that I need to do the same – I need to get away from the crowd and be alone with God if I am to climb, as He did. Praying with others is good and important but there is no replacement for the ‘loneliness’ associated with the secret place which is 1:1 – you and God.

I see this 1:1 audience with God as a key to climbing the ‘Holy North Face’. A.W.Tozer writes about the “knowledge of the holy” andto be alone with the Father is the only place we will be empowered to climb Mount God, pursue peace and lives of Christ-exalting holiness.